Dental emergencies are quite common and are created from a variety of causes. From chipping a tooth in an accident to having a dental filling or crown dislodge, these events can be very painful and be quite inconvenient. Many times a person suffering from a dental emergency will not be able to seek immediate medical care. Facilities such as emergency rooms are not equipped with dental staff to provide emergency care afterhours. Dentist offices are typically not open on the weekend or in the evening and the lack of availability can lead to a sufferer having to wait for a couple of days. This creates quite a dilemma for the sufferer as the pain can typically not be completely managed with conventional over the counter remedies.
One problem with pain management for dental emergencies is the limited options that a patient has to manage the pain while awaiting treatment from a dentist. One option is a topical analgesic that is applied directly to the affected tooth. While this can be temporarily effective, these remedies can often wash away and only last a few hours. Oral analgesics can also be utilized but are typically ineffective at managing the severity of the pain associated with many dental emergencies. None of the aforementioned address the affect that temperature change has on the damaged tooth. Temperature changes in the mouth from either drinking a liquid or just opening the mouth has a significant impact on the intensity of the pain and can increase the pain felt by the patient quite dramatically.
Accordingly, there is a need for a tooth protection device that can provide temporary relief from dental pain wherein the tooth protection device can be superposed the affected area so as to provide impact protection and a thermal barrier.